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Let me explain where the idea for this swap came from and then I'll tell you the rules and how the swap will work. Some months ago, now, I was looking for swappers for one of my "Skill Builder Series" swaps. It was the "Wet Fly With Wings" swap. One swapper, apparently seeing the "Wet Fly" part of it but not the "With Wings" part signed up and later realized what he had gotten himself into. He had never tied a wet fly with wings and had a period of panic when he realized that he needed to tie a fly with wings. I think he was pretty new to the Forum and didn't want to back out, but didn't think he could tie a fly with wings, either. So he went into "panic mode" not knowing what he would do. After sweating it out for a few days, wondering what to do, he finally began to look at some videos and began trying to tie on a few sets of wings until he finally overcame his anxiety and turned in a very nice set of flies. Later, he told me about his experience and suggested a fly swap where everyone has to face their greatest fly tying challenge. So, here's how it works. For this swap, if you decide to join, you will tell me what is your greatest challenge in fly tying. It may be tying a very small fly or tying a fly with hair wings, or a clipped deer hair fly, or a parachute pattern, or a classic Catskill pattern or whatever. I will sign you up to be in the swap and I will assign you a pattern that will require you to face your greatest challenge. You will tie up 12 flies of that pattern and get them to me before the due date. There will be openings for 13 swappers so you won't get one of your own flies back. The only thing that is different about this swap is the 2-step sign-up procedure. Toe tags, SASE, etc, are all part of the swap like always. If there is a type of fly that you always avoid tying because of something in particular about that fly, this is the swap where you face tying the kind of pattern that you usually avoid. You might even discover that you like that type of fly, once you learn to overcome the difficulty in tying it. And again, it's all about increasing our abilities and it's all about having fun. (And I promise that the next swap will be something easy, like "Your Favorite Fly.") So who wants in? And in case you're wondering, I'm in also. I always avoid hair wing flies, particularly calf tail hair wings. So I'm tying the Mr Rapidan. And I'm going to tie it on a size #14 which will make it a bit harder for me because as a Warmwater fly tier most of my life, I think of flies in sizes #8 through #12. Rarely did I ever tie anything smaller than that until I bought a retirement home just a few miles away from the Chattooga River (Where the movie "Deliverance" was filmed.) A "Wild And Scenic" river on the South Carolina/Georgia border. So, who wants to sign up for a challenge? The due date will be July 31.

1. Swapmeister - Mr Rapidan & A Mystery Fly

2. Idaho RC - Extended Body Light Cahill - Received

3. GP Flyfisherman - BWO Upright CDC Wing SMHAEN Style - Received

4. Fishingbobnelson - Fan Wing Quill Gordon - Received

5. Wmw4 - Moodah Pooday - Received

6. Dflanagan - Parachute Adams - Received

7. Vicente - H & L Variant - Received

8. Jburge - Rat Faced McDougal - Received

9. Joeh - Muddler Minnow - Received

10. Stilis - Goddard Caddis - Received

11. DManley - Red Fox Squirrel Nymph - Received

12. Dorado - Black Ghost Streamer - Received

13. Woodenlegs - Royal Wulff - Received

14. Vicrider - Extended Body Damsel - Received

15. Hazathor - Dave's Hopper - Received

THIS SWAP IS FULL

Remember the 3 "R"s. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.

You're right, Idaho RC, I forgot the due date. I'm thinking the end of June would give everyone time enough to get practiced up and get their flies in. Let's say June 30. I'll edit the first post and get that included there.

Thanks for the reminder and for signing up.

I've got you down GP Flyfisherman.

Take care

BB

Remember the 3 "R"s. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.

“The thing about fishing is that it gives a man hope. Each cast builds a little hope and if he can lose himself to that hope, then the worries and the heartache fade into the background. The wind inside him dies down for a while”

for me it is working with CDC fibers especially palmering theses to create wings or legs.. it just never looks right when I'm finished a fly. This will be a great swap for me to learn something about CDC fibers.

Guys, I sat down yesterday to make some assignments & just after I got to the Forum, I got a call that our daughter was in a very bad car accident. She has been transported from the Rock Hill, SC hospital to the Charlotte, NC trauma center for surgery with a orthopedic trauma specialist. I am on my way back there now. I'll have to get back to you on the assignments later, but I wanted you to know what is the hold-up.

BB

Remember the 3 "R"s. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.

Don't worry about the damn swap! Take care of your family. We can wait on this, you can make it a later due date it you have to. Plus, even though I signed up for this challange, I am in no hurry to start it.

Bob

“The thing about fishing is that it gives a man hope. Each cast builds a little hope and if he can lose himself to that hope, then the worries and the heartache fade into the background. The wind inside him dies down for a while”

I can tell you yours from memory. On the Facebook link you sent, there was a very eloquent Fan Wing Quill Gordan. That's your assignment. We are waiting at the hospital to find out when surgery will be scheduled.

Remember the 3 "R"s. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. She had a nasty break, but God gave us a highly skilled surgeon to take care of it. She should be home by the end of the week. So, let's get back to the swap.

Fishingbobnelson is going to tie a Fan Wing Quill Gordon for us.

Idaho RC, your assignment is an Extended Body Light Cahill like this:

And GP Flyfisherman, your assignment is a BWO Upright CDC Wing SMHAEN Style.https://www.youtube....K6a6okUw&t=321s Don't worry about the colors and other materials. If you don't have Badger for the tail, you could do that with some other stiff hair or even pheasant tail. If your don't have or can't get the green Peacock Herl, use whatever you DO have. But concentrate on the wing. If you can get that wing to look like the one in the video, you will have made real progress with CDC fibers.

OK, How about it, Wetsock, Vicrider, mikechell, and anyone else. We need some more swappers. How about signing up?

Take care

BB

Remember the 3 "R"s. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.